Angiogenesis is a process of growth of new blood vessels and remodeling of preexisting blood vessels. It is vital for normal growth and development, as well as other physiological processes, such as wound healing. On the other hand, angiogenesis is also important in various pathological processes. For example, pathological angiogenesis is a fundamental step in the transition of tumors from a dormant state to a malignant one, characterized by the properties of anaplasia, invasiveness, and metastasis.
Metastatic progression of cancer is a daunting clinical challenge. Technological advances have allowed for the detection and treatment of some early stage neoplasm, however, total death rates from epithelial malignancies have remained essentially unchanged over the last forty years (seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975—2007/, National Institute of Health, 2007). It generally is believed that this is due to several factors, including molecular heterogeneity within cancer types, chemotherapeutic regimens of modest efficacy that were historically empirically derived, and a long-standing focus on the molecular drivers of primary tumor growth rather than metastatic progression.
Effective prevention or treatment of metastasis calls for understanding of molecular and cellular events, including angiogenesis, underlying this complex process (Talmadge, J. E. et al., Cancer Res 70 (14), 5649 (2010); Sleeman, J. et al., Eur J Cancer 46 (7), 1177 (2010); and Hurst, D. R., et al., Cancer Res 69 (19), 7495 (2009)). VEGF has been discovered as a promoter of tumorigenesis in primary tumors (Kim, K. J. et al., Nature 362 (6423), 841 (1993)). Clinical trials have shown that VEGF inhibition can, in combination with chemotherapy, lengthen survival by 2-3 months in patients with stage IV colorectal or lung cancer (Hurwitz, H. et al., N Engl J Med 350 (23), 2335 (2004); Giantonio, B. J. et al., J Clin Oncol 25 (12), 1539 (2007); and Sandler, A. et al., N Engl J Med 355 (24), 2542 (2006)). However, VEGF inhibition has not proven beneficial for metastasis prevention in the adjuvant setting (Barugel, M. E., et al. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 9 (12), 1829 (2009) and in recent pre-clinical metastasis models (Paez-Ribes, M. et al., Cancer Cell 15 (3), 220 (2009) and Ebos, J. M. et al., Cancer Cell 15 (3), 232 (2009)). While compensation by other unknown factors that promote metastatic angiogenesis has been proposed to underlie these outcomes, a number of investigators have sought to address metastasis via pathways other than angiogenesis. For example, WO 2009082744 described genes over-expressed in bone and lung metastases of breast cancer, where the genes were not related to angiogenesis. Others endeavored to identify factors that mediate metastatic angiogenesis. Yet, the success has been limited.
Thus, there is a need for agents and methods for regulating angiogenesis and for treating disorders characterized by pathological angiogenesis, including cancer.